The present invention relates, in general, to a composition of health foods for promoting the circulation of blood and, more particularly, to a composition made of medicinal herbs, Lycium chinense Miller, Agastache rugosa (Fischer et Meyer) O. Kuntze, Pueraria lobat Ohwi, Macrocarpium officinale Sieb. et Zucc., Gastrodia elata blume, Amomum xanthioides Wallich, Cratagegus pinnatifida Bge., Aquillaria Agallocha Roxburgh, Inula Helenium L., Cassia obtusifolia L., and Rubus sachalinensis Lev., and young antlers of Cornu cervi, suitable for use in health foods helpful in improving blood circulation.
At present, various electrical and electronic instruments are generally used in offices for office automation and even in home for home automation. On the whole, such instruments require the user to assume certain postures, for example, to maintain his or her arms at a distance from the body, for their operation. Accordingly, after operating the instruments for a long time of period, the user is liable to undergo stiffness at certain body sites, such as arms, legs, waist, etc. In most cases, stiffened muscles can be easily relieved simply by massaging them. However, once afflicted with muscular stiffness, those who operate such instruments every day have difficulty in healing the discomfort or pain.
In addition to the operation of OA instruments, exercise, physical work, inappropriate posture, and metal stress are found to cause muscular stiffness. Other causes of muscular stiffness are exemplified by cervical spondylosis, thoracic outlet syndrome, hypertension, asthenopia, autonomous dysmyotonia, and menoposal disorder. Symptoms of the stiffness include characteristic chronic pain, irritability, and, in severe cases, headache and emesis.
The circulation of blood is the movement of blood, driven by the heart, throughout the body through defined channels and tissue spaces, performing a variety of functions, including carrying oxygen to tissues and releasing carbon dioxide to the lungs, supplying nutrients, taking away metabolites from cells, transporting hormones from various endocrine glands to control the functions of tissues, immune activity, and controlling body temperature, osmosis, and water content, etc.
Blood vessels are classified into arteries, veins and capillaries. Arteries can be broken down into: tunica interna composed of simple asquamous epithelium, subcutaneous layer, and internal elastic lamina; tunica media composed of smooth muscle and elastic tissue; and tunica advantitia composed mostly of fibrous connective tissue. Serving as exchange vessels for nutrients, waste and fluids, and connecting the arteries and veins, capillaries carry blood from the arterioles to the venules. With a diameter of as small as 0.008-0.02 mm, capillaries are invisible and allow only one or two rows of red blood cells to pass therethrough. Forming nets, capillaries are composed of tunica interna only. Veins are separated into: tunica interna composed of an internal layer comprising valves for preventing the retrograde movement of blood; tunica media composed of smooth muscle, which is thin in veins; and tunica externa which is a heavy layer in many veins.
Circulatory disturbance, meaning an uneven movement of blood through vessels, is caused by narrowing of the lumen of non-elastic vessels, owing mainly to deposition of cholesterol therein. In many cases, circulatory disturbance leads to circulatory diseases. Of them, cerebral apoplexy is representative, which is caused by the rupture or occlusion of cerebral vessels. Cerebral apoplexy is classified into hemorrhagic apoplexy and ischemic apoplexy. Causes of a sudden onset of intracranial hemorrhage or bleeding are hypertension, aneurysm, bleeding into a tumor, and the like. Hemorrhagic apoplexy is subclassified into cerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Ischemic apoplexy is caused by ischemia or inability to obtain necessary amounts of oxygen for the needs of the brain tissues, owing usually to the narrowing or blockage of a major or smaller crucial artery in the brain. Ischemic apoplexy is further classified into cerebral infarction and transient ischemic attack.
General causes of cerebral hemorrhage are hypertension and arteriosclerosis. Hypertension is a disorder characterized by high blood pressure; generally this is characterized by systolic blood pressure consistently higher than 140, or diastolic blood pressure consistently over 90. Hypertension is subclassified into mild hypertension with a diastolic blood pressure of 90 to 104, moderate hypertension with a diastolic blood pressure of 105 to 110, and heavy hypertension with a diastolic blood pressure of higher than 110. As much as 90% of all hypertension patients suffer from essential (primary) hypertension, which means that the high blood pressure has no identifiable cause. The rest comprise consecutive (secondary) hypertension sufferers whose cause is identifiable. On the whole, older persons tend to have higher blood pressures. Some research results disclose the hereditary nature of hypertension. Impatient persons are liable to suffer from hypertension. Obesity, salt ingestion, mental stresses, smoking, drinking, renal diseases, pheochromocytoma, use of oral contraceptives, and primary aldosteronemia are found to be causes of hypertension.
Arteriosclerosis is a vascular disease of the arteries in which fatty materials are deposited on vessel walls, resulting in narrowing of the vessel lumen and eventual impairment of blood flow. The elderly are more liable to be afflicted with arteriosclerotic diseases. Once a person suffers from arteriosclerosis, there occurs dysfunction of of various organs of his or hers. When it occurs at cerebral vessels, apoplexy results.
Additionally, heart diseases and diabetes mellitus are also associated with hypertension and/or arteriosclerosis.
Muscle stiffness, even though its etiology is not established firmly, is found to be attributed, at least in part, to the excessive contraction of peripheral vessels and circulatory disturbance and congestion within muscles, which result from excessive stimulation of nerves, muscle fatigue and/or autonomous dysmyotonia. Accordingly, relieving muscle stiffness is an effective way to improve blood circulation. With other therapies, such as massaging, warm-bath therapy, fomentation, electric stimulation and pharmacotheraphy, a desirable healing effect is difficult to obtain. In addition, some of these therapies are annoying because the patients have to go specialized hospitals.
Leading to the present invention, the intensive and thorough research to develop health foods for promoting the circulation of blood, conducted by the present inventor aiming to overcome the problems encountered in prior arts, resulted in the finding that certain wild herbs promote the functions of the organs relevant to the circulation of blood, and are medicinally effective for the treatment of arteriosclerosis and disturbance of blood circulation.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a composition of health foods for promoting the circulation of blood, which is safe to the body and effective for treating diseases attributed to the disturbance of blood circulation.
In accordance with the present invention, the above object could be accomplished by a provision of a composition of health foods for promoting the circulation of blood, comprising: 5-13 wt % of Lycium chinense Miller, 5-13 wt % of young antlers of Cornu cervi, 5-13 wt % of Agastache rugosa (Fischer et Meyer) O. Kuntze, 5-13 wt % of Pueraria lobat Ohwi, 4-12 wt % of Macrocarpium officinale Sieb. et Zucc., 4-12 wt % of Gastrodia elata blume, 4-12 wt % of Amomum xanthioides Wallich, 4-12 wt % of Cratagegus pinnatifida Bge., 4-12 wt % of Aquillaria Agallocha Roxburgh, 4-12 wt % of Inula Helenium L., 4-12 wt % of Cassia obtusifolia L., and 4-12 wt % of Rubus sachalinensis Lev.
The present invention pertains to a composition for use in health foods for promoting the circulation of blood, prepared from medicinal herbs, including Lycium chinense Miller, Agastache rugosa (Fischer et Meyer) O. Kuntze, Pueraria lobat Ohwi, Macrocarpium officinale Sieb. et Zucc., Gastrodia elata blume, Amomum xanthioides Wallich, Cratagegus pinnatifida Bge., Aquillaria Agallocha Roxburgh, Inula Helenium L., Cassia obtusifolia L.., and 4-12 wt % of Rubus sachalinensis Lev., and young antlers of Cornu cervi, 
Fruits of Lycium chinense Miller contain vitamins and zeaxanthine. Recently, scopletin, a biologically active material, has been isolated from the fruits. Also, there were isolated carotenoid and sterin, which are identified as physalien and xcex2-sitosterin, respectively. In Oriental medicine, the fruits of Lycium chinense Miller are utilized as a hypotensive agent. Found to have the function of lowering blood cholesterol, the fruits are used for the prophylaxis and treatment of arteriosclerosis. In some historical medical books, the fruits are described to be useful for the treatment of lumbago, asthenia, vertigo, headache, and diabetes mellitus. It is also described that humans who have been administered with the fruit for a long period of time may enjoy medicinal effects including increased bone density, vigor, keen eyesight, resistance to cold and heat, and longevity.
Fruits of Macrocarpium officinale Sieb. et Zucc. contain crystalline organic acids, gallic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, etc. In the skin of the fruits are found morroniside, loganin and sworoside. In Oriental medicine, the fruits are used to aid renal function and applied to persons who often sweat or urinate in small amounts, or suffer from lumbago or irregular menstruation.
Young antlers of the deer Cornu cervi are medicinally useful In Oriental medicine. For use in medicine, young antlers which have not yet keratinized are dried. Like ginseng, dried antlers are widely used in Oriental medicine. From young antlers, free amino acids, hexosamine acid, uronic acid, sialic acid, hypoxanthine estrone, and estradiol receptors are isolated. Many historical medical books describe that young antlers have a variety of potent medicinal effects, including invigoration, promotion of growth and development, hematosis, and promotion of functions of almost all organs, such as heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gall bladder, stomach, intestines, paunch, bladder and bowels, immunological enhancement, and improvement of mental operation. In order to build up one""s health and restore one""s energy, young antlers are also used. In addition, young antlers are described to be useful for the treatment of neurasthenia and heart failure.
Agastache rugosa (Fischer et Meyer) O. Kuntze is a perennial plant growing to a height of 1-1.5 m. Consisting of methylcarbicol?, anisaldehyde, anethol, d-limonene, cescuiterpene, xcex1-pinene, xcex2-pinene, xcex1-limonene, oxanone, P-cymol, and linalol, essential oils are isolated in an amount of about 0.3% from the whole herb, in an amount of about 0.2 to 2.3% from leaves, in an amount of 5% from flowers, and in an amount of 0.1% from stems. Also, there are isolated flavonoids, including acacetine, tilianin, linalin, and agastachoside. In Oriental medicine, the herb is used as a stomachic, a carminative, a digestive, or an antipyretic and administered to persons who suffer in hot weather, have an upset stomach, a cold, a headache, or who suffer from emesis and diarrhea. Additionally, the herb is often prescribed to treat cortical diseases and tumors. Particularly, it is essentially used for the treatment of spleen and stomach diseases.
Young Gastrodia elata blume grows by ingesting nutrients from its progenitor. The herb is especially prescribed for those who suffer from paralysis, children""s seizures, headache, and nerve diseases. From the tuberous roots of Gastrodia elasta blume, p-hydroxybenzylalcohol and its glycoside gastrodine, and p-hydroxybenzylaldehyde are isolated. In Oriental medicine, young Gastrodia elasta blume is used as a tonic, a sedative and a contraparetic for the treatment of giddiness, nausea, epilepsy, neurasthenia, vomiting, and neuropathic aphasia, convulsions and paralysis of the limbs, and peripheral neuropathy. It is described in historical medical books that young Gastrodia elasta blume the herb is particularly beneficial to the nervous system and has a hematic function. In addition, the herb is used as a drug for treating nephritis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dysgonesis, physical fatigue, etc.
Amomum xanthioides Wallich is a perennial herb, which grows to a height of 1.3-2 m. Its fruits are used as a drug to treat stomachache, dyspepsia, nausea and diarrhea. It is administered at a single dosage of 2-3 g.
Like fruits of Chaenomeles sinensis, fruits of Cratagegus pinnatifida Bge. show a medicinal function of promoting urination because of their containing cuelcetine and oleanoic acid. Also, fruits of Cratagegus pinnatifida Bge. are found to contain vitamin B, C, carotin, and chlorogenic acid. In Oriental medicine, the fruits are applied to humans who suffer from postpartum abdominal pain, hangover, dyspepsia, or diarrhea. Particularly, the fruits are used as a stomachic.
Aquillaria Agallocha Roxburgh is an evergreen that is 30 m high. Its lignum part has no resinous materials normally, but when the tree is damaged, they are secreted from the lignum part to heal the wound. Lignum aloes is obtained by cutting the tree having the resinous materials and letting it rot naturally on the ground, followed by removing non-resinous parts to leave resinous parts. Essential oils can be obtained at a yield of 13% by the saponification with alkali and steam distillation of the lignum aloe. In Oriental medicine, the essential oils are used in a single dose of 1.5-3 g for the treatment of nausea, stomachache and asthma. In addition, the heartwood is used as a stomachic and a carminative.
Inula Helenium L. is a perennial herb, which grows to a height of 50 to 150 cm. From the roots of the herb, essential oils are obtained at a yield of 1 to 5%. When the essential oils are cooled, crystals are formed, called helenine. In addition to the crystals, the essential oils contain damiradienylacetate C32H52O2, a kind of triterpene alcohol, a small amount of alantol C15H23O2, and proazulene. From the roots, inulin, pseudo-inulin, inulenin, saponin, bitter substance, dyes, and a trace amount of alkaloids are isolated. Alantol is found in fresh roots. In Oriental medicine, the herb is used as an expectorant, a stomachic, a diuretic and a hidrotic for the treatment of various respiratory diseases such as catarrhal inflammation of the upper trachea, bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, etc. It is also applied to those who suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, stomachache, catarrhal inflammation of the stomach, sour stomach, and cold.
Roots of Pueraria lobat Ohwi contain isoflavones such as daidsein C15H10O4 and daidzin C2H20O9, puerarin C2H20O9, puerarin-xyloside, luteolin, biocanin, starch, and coumarin. In addition, choline, acetylcholine, cacneconem, cachkonein and puerarol are also obtained from the roots. In Oriental medicine, the roots are used as a perspiratory antipyretic and a contraparetic for the treatment of fever, dry throat, headache, tonsillitis, and acute tympanitis. Other medicinal effects of the roots include soothing neck stiffiess and shoulder stiffness and healing wounds. Disorders for which the roots are applicable are exemplified by extravasated blood, hypertension and tinnitus.
Seeds of Cassia obtusifolia L. contain emodin, obtusifolin, obtusin C18H16O7, chryso-obtusin C19H18O7, aurantio-obtusin C17H4O7, and glycosides thereof Water or alcohol extracts of the seeds were found to have a hypotensive function as measured in animal tests. In Oriental medicine, the seeds are prescribed for the protection of the kidneys, the promotion of hepatic function, the prevention of paralysis, the alleviation of fever, and the treatment of headache and eye diseases.
Fruits of Rubus sachalinensis Lev. are rich in organic acids, such as lemon acid, salicylic acid, capronic acid, formic acid, and their salts. Also, the fruits are found to contain pectin, carotin (0.3 mg %), vitamin B, glucose at an amount of 4.3%, fructose at an amount of 8%, sucrose at an amount of 6.5%, tannmin at an amount of 0.3%, cyanidin chloride (C27H31O6), acetoin (C4H8O2), xcex2-ionone, and benzaldehyde. In animal tests, a decoction of Rubus sachalinensis Lev. was identified to alleviate fever as well as serve as a cordial and a diuretic. In Oriental medicine, the fruit is prescribed for patients suffering from fever, a cold, pneumonia, or cough.
As described above, the materials used in the present invention are obtained from herbs which grow naturally and are safe to the body, and young antler of deer. For use in the composition of health foods for the liver, the medicinal materials, fruits of Lycium chinense Miller, fruits of Macrocarpium officinale Sieb. et Zucc., young antlers of Cornu cervi, Agastache rugosa (Fischer et Meyer) O. Kuntze, young Gastrodia elata blume, Amomum xanthioides Wallich, fruits of Cratagegus pinnatifida Bge., Aquillaria Agallocha Roxburgh, Inula Helenium L., roots of Pueraria lobat Ohwi, seeds of Cassia obtusifolia L., and fruits of Rubus sachalinensis Lev. are dried and powdered. The powder mixture may be formulated in forms of tablets, granules or capsules, or used as materials of draughts or broths. Attentively, the medicinal material mixture may be extracted with hot water or organic solvents.
A better understanding of the present invention may be obtained in light of the following examples which are set forth to illustrate, but are not to be construed to limit the present invention.